Dan's Oscar Picks!
Well, I expected to go 5 for 6 with the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS giving me the headache once again this year, in what was another fairly easily predictable year.
But I went 4 for 6 again this year...but remember, I made my predictions the day of the nominations.
Now, I do give myself some credit in the BEST ACTRESS category.
So lets recap....The 80th Annual Academy Awards...here is what I got right:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: No Country For Old Men
Dan's Prediction - No Country For Old Men
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Dan's Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Dan's Prediction - Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
And this is what I missed:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose."
Dan's Prediction - Julie Christie, Away From Her
I had been saying all along that this was a two horse race between Julie Christie, "Away From Her" and Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose". I thought that Julie Christie would win as Hollywood loved their own...I was wrong, but I do give myself some credit here.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
Dan's Prediction - Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Well, I was wrong...but backstage, Swinton said she was completely shocked.
"I thought Ruby Dee would win and then, frankly, anybody but me," Swinton told reporters.
Oh well, an Academy Award winner agreed with me, so I don't feel so bad.
As for the night's other notable category for me:
Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
I was so happy that "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won!!!
This was the highlight of the night for me!!
Oscar noms awaiting DVD release
Only one of this year's best-picture nominees has debuted on DVD.
Michael Clayton, with seven nominations in total, arrived this week in a single-disc edition with modest-yet-effective bonus materials. The highlight is a revealing commentary by writer-director Tony Gilroy, who explains how star George Clooney empowered his project after years of "walking in the wilderness."
Up next is No Country for Old Men, the violent masterpiece from Joel and Ethan Coen and the nominations co-leader with eight. It debuts March 11 in a single-disc edition.
Predictably, the Coen Brothers won't say much. They often give mumbling answers in interviews. But the DVD extras may illuminate the challenges of the project, anyway. Hopefully, they will focus on the stellar work of Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson, all overlooked in the Oscar noms as Javier Bardem burst into prominence.
Further out is P.T. Anderson's There Will be Blood, the other nominations co-leader with eight. It is due April 8 in a two-disc collector's edition, which obviously will include generous bonus materials on the second disc.
Following that is Juno, set for an April 15 release in single-disc format. Juno is doing very well in theatres, despite minor backlash over its pregnant-teen theme. The worldwide box office is up to $143 million, most of it in North America. It is the clear box-office winner among the best-picture noms.
As for the final best-picture nominee, Atonement (tied with Michael Clayton with seven noms), no DVD dates have been announced yet.
Other Oscar nominees are currently available on DVD.
Among them is Ratatouille (five noms); La Vie en Rose (three noms); The Bourne Ultimatum (three noms); Transformers (three noms); Away From Her (two noms); 3:10 to Yuma (two noms); Elizabeth: The Golden Age (two noms); American Gangster (two noms); Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (two noms); In The Valley of Elah (one nom); The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (one nom); Eastern Promises (one nom); Gone Baby Gone (one nom); Surf's Up (one nom); Once (one nom); Across the Universe (one nom); and the idiotic Norbit (one nom).
Nominees due soon include Into the Wild (two noms), which is due March 4, and Enchanted (three noms), due March 18.
If you want to delve into Oscar's past, however, Fox, MGM and United Artists have teamed on five new box sets, all keyed to historic Oscar winners.
Three boxes contain best- picture winners, organized by studio. MGM's four-disc Best Picture Collection has Rocky, Platoon, Dances With Wolves and The Silence of the Lambs. The five-disc Fox box has How Green Was My Valley, Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and The Sound of Music. The four-disc United Artists set has Marty, The Apartment, West Side Story and Tom Jones.
There are two other boxes, each devoted to the acting craft. The five-disc Best Actor Collection has In Old Arizona, The King and I, Patton, Harry and Tonto and Wall Street, featuring winners from Warner Baxter to Michael Douglas. The five-disc Best Actress Collection has Anastasia, The Three Faces of Eve, Norma Rae, Boy's Don't Cry and Walk the Line, featuring winners from Ingrid Bergman to Reese Witherspoon.
'No Country' wins top Oscars
HOLLYWOOD -- No Country for Old Men had a great, if not a killer, night at the 80th annual Academy Awards.
The dark tale of a serial killer on the trail of a looted fortune won three of the "big six" Oscars and four overall, including best picture. But No Country lost in four technical categories, a sign that there is no longer any evidence of the across-the-board voting that helped set most-Oscar records for films such as Titanic.
The brother team of Joel and Ethan Coen won three of No Country's Oscars -- for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.
Javier Bardem picked up the movie's fourth Oscar, in the supporting-actor category, for portraying a particularly brutal serial killer.
During his acceptance speech, the Spaniard -- directing his comments toward his mother in the audience -- told her in Spanish that this Oscar will help "to recover the dignity of actors... and it's for our pride."
The Coens went into the evening hoping to make Academy Awards history by winning all four categories in which they were nominated. But when The Bourne Ultimatum won for film editing, that dream died. Only legendary animator Walt
Disney has ever won four Oscars in the same year, albeit not for the same movie.
No Country lost in three other technical categories, one to There Will Be Blood in cinematography, and two more to The Bourne Ultimatum, in sound editing and sound mixing. The latter meant that Kevin O'Connell's incredible Oscar losing streak was extended to 0-for-20. The 50-year-old sound mixer extended his record for the most Academy Award nominations without a win; he was up for Transformers.
In winning for adapted screenplay, the Coens defeated Canadian Sarah Polley, 29, who was nominated for her celebrated feature-film directorial debut, Away From Her. Polley adapted her screenplay from Alice Munro's short story.
No Country for Old Men won the best-picture Oscar over the oil epic There Will Be Blood, the Second World War drama Atonement, the corporate drama Michael Clayton and the popular made-in-Canada comedy Juno, starring Canadian Ellen Page.
The Bourne Ultimatum won three Oscars, albeit in technical categories. There Will Be Blood and La Vie en Rose were the only other multiple winners, with two apiece.
As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis won as best actor for There Will Be Blood. There were huge upsets in the actress categories, though.
French actress Marion Cotillard beat huge favourite Away From Her's Julie Christie for the best-actress Oscar. In her broken Engish, a clearly rattled Cotillard on stage thanked "life" and "love" for her victory. Page of Halifax, who just turned 21, was up for best actress for her turn as the pregnant teen in Juno.
Cotillard was beguilling backstage, entertaining the press with an a capella excerpt from one of Edith Piaf's songs, and she charmed everyone with her unbridled joy.
"I'm totally overwhelmed with joy and sparkles and fireworks, and everything that goes boom, boom, boom," she said. "It's all going off in here."
In another big surprise, Tilda Swinton won the supporting-actress Oscar for Michael Clayton. Cate Blanchett's turn as folk-era Bob Dylan in I'm Not There and 83-year-old Ruby Dee, for American Gangster, were seen to be the favourites in that category. Blanchett also lost in the best-actress category for her work in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Backstage, Swinton said she was completely shocked.
"I thought Ruby Dee would win and then, frankly, anybody but me," Swinton told reporters.
She did not react to her name being announced as winner, she admitted.
"I had a reverse Zoolander moment when I thought I heard someone else's name. Then I slowwwwly heard my own."
Other Canadians were up for Oscars at the Kodak Theater.
Two Canadian filmmakers lost in the animated-shorts category. Josh Rankin's I Met the Walrus and Chris Lavis and Maciek Szcerbowski's Madame Tutli-Putli failed to gain more academy votes than Peter & the Wolf.
Also for Juno, Montreal-born Jason Reitman, himself only 30, was up for best director but lost to the Coens.
Outside the Kodak Theater, it had been raining sporadically all day -- with breaks of sunshine only to be dashed by the next shower. The rain did not wash out the red carpet festivities, however.
The telecast was only three hours, 18 minutes -- the second shortest this decade.
Complete list of Oscar winners
Complete list of winners at the 80th annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:
Best Motion Picture: "No Country for Old Men."
Lead Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."
Lead Actress: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose."
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."
Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."
Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men."
Foreign Language Film: "The Counterfeiters," Austria.
Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men."
Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno."
Animated Feature Film: "Ratatouille."
Art Direction: "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Cinematography: "There Will Be Blood."
Sound Mixing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."
Sound Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."
Original Score: "Atonement," Dario Marianelli.
Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
Costume: "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."
Documentary Feature: "Taxi to the Dark Side."
Documentary Short Subject: "Freeheld."
Film Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."
Makeup: "La Vie en Rose."
Animated Short Film: "Peter & the Wolf."
Live Action Short Film: "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (`The Mozart of Pickpockets')."
Visual Effects: "The Golden Compass."
_
Academy Award winners previously announced this year:
Honorary and technical Oscars: Robert Boyle; Eastman Kodak Co.; David A. Grafton.
The Oscar moments you didn't see on TV
LOS ANGELES - Most of the action on the Oscar stage is choreographed and rehearsed. Backstage is another story.
In the wings of the Kodak Theatre, stars grapple with nerves, have impromptu meetings with colleagues and make last-minute adjustments to their hair and makeup. Presenters and performers mingle with brand-new Oscar winners while dodging props and cameramen.
What you see on TV is Hollywood magic. Backstage is like a home movie, where everybody knows each other and they're all excited about putting on a show.
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OSCAR SHOCK: As Marion Cotillard stepped offstage with the best-actress Oscar for "La Vie En Rose," Forest Whitaker enveloped her in a hug that lasted at least a minute.
Then they looked at each other and laughed.
"I'm shaking, like wow," Cotillard trembled.
Stopping by the backstage "thank you" cam, she expressed her gratitude in French and studied her Oscar.
"I'm shaking so much I think I can't talk," she said.
Whitaker led her arm-in-arm behind the stage on the winner's walk.
"This is huge, this is huge," she gushed as backstage workers applauded.
At a stop for a makeup touch up she tried to breathe deeply.
"This is crazy, this is totally crazy. Ooh la la la la! It's totally surreal," she said.
Tilda Swinton was so stunned by her win for supporting actress in "Michael Clayton" that she could only keep repeating "wow, wow" as she walked offstage.
Presenter Alan Arkin chased her with the winner's envelope.
"Oh yes, this is the proof," Swinton said, leaving arm-in-arm with Arkin.
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JITTERS: Katherine Heigl wasn't kidding when she told the Oscar audience she was nervous.
Behind the scenes, a stagehand asked if she was OK.
"I just need a cigarette," she said, bumming one from a security guard and heading out to a loading dock.
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NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOE BUSINESS: Adjusting her dress as she stepped into the theater wings and prepared to take the stage, Jennifer Garner confessed to the stage manager: "I'd like to take my shoes off."
"We could do it," he replied.
Instead, she looked skyward and said, "I didn't mean it, karmic dressing gods," and walked in a small circle.
"I'm just going to make sure I'm not going to fall," she explained.
Rene Zellweger had slung her silver Christian Louboutins over her shoulder when Johnny Depp ran into her.
"I like your shoes," Depp said.
"Thanks man," Zellweger replied. "I used to like the shoes."
___
STAR CLUSTER: At times it seemed there were as many stars in the green room as in the audience.
Penelope Cruz sat by her sister, Monica, and fanned herself. They were joined by Miley Cyrus, Johnny Depp and companion Vanessa Paradis, and Forest Whitaker.
Marion Cotillard was about to join them when she learned she would have to smoke outside.
___
CELEBRITY PLUMBING: The restroom just offstage was another Kodak Theatre hotspot.
Jessica Alba and Forrest Whitaker waited in line, and Javier Bardem brought his Oscar inside with him.
First-time presenters Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill passed the crowd on the way to the stage, but Hill paused and thought better of it. They joined lineup.
___
LADIES MAN: This backstage reporter was just trying to get out of Jack Nicholson's way, but ended up in his crosshairs.
As he passed in a narrow corridor he brushed against her synthetic white fur coat.
"Nice jacket," he said half under his breath.
As the reporter thanked him, photographers in the hallway aimed their cameras.
"Let's have a picture," said Nicholson.
Dan's Oscar Picks!
2008 - I expect to go 5 for 6 with the BEST ACTRESS giving me the headache in what is another easily predictable year.
1. Best Picture: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."
This is the Coen Brothers' year, so No Country for Old Men wins this.
2. Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."
Daniel Day-Lewis wins here. Although Tommy Lee was great, and Clooney seems to have all the buzz right now.
3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."
This is a two horse race between Julie Christie, "Away From Her" and Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose", with Julie Christie winning as Hollywood loves their own!
4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."
INTO THE WILD was one of the two worst pictures of last year, but Hal Holbrook was spectacular in it! However this seems to be Javier Bardem's as part of the Coen's year.
5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"; Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"; Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"; Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"; Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."
I have heard good things about Amy Ryan, and everyone else in this category, but it seems that Ruby Dee - who has never been nominated before - takes home the Award.
6. Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Jason Reitman, "Juno"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."
Coen Brothers! Period, end of story!
SOME EXTRAS AS WELL...BUT THESE ARE JUST HOPES, NOT PREDICTIONS
8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"; Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"; Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."
Would love to see Sarah Polley win here!
9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"; Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"; Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."
Diablo Cody wins here...but all the rest are more interesting films.
16. Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
This is the category that means the most to me as ONCE was my favourite film of 2007, so I truly hope it wins!!
So, to recap:
The 80th Annual Academy Awards
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - No Country For Old Men
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Best Achievement in Directing
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
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2007 - DAN CORRECTLY PREDICTED FOUR OF THE SIX MAJOR CATEGORIES AGAIN THIS YEAR - AND HE ALSO SAID THAT IF EDDIE MURPHY DIDN'T WIN, ALAN ARKIN WOULD.
The 79th Annual Academy Awards
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: The Departed (2006) - Graham King
Dan's Prediction - Little Miss Sunshine
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Forest Whitaker
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Helen Mirren
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Eddie Murphy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Jennifer Hudson
Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Martin Scorsese for The Departed (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Martin Scorsese
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2006 - The 78th Annual Academy Awards were - Dan went 4 out of 6
Best Picture
WINNER - Crash
Dan's Prediction - Brokeback Mountain - All the buzz remains behind this film. CRASH has some headlines, but the buzz is all about BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
Best Actor
WINNER - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Dan's Prediction - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote - WALK THE LINE is selling lots of DVDs and Terrence Howard has a nice groundswell of support, but Hoffman's performance is just head and shoulders above everyone else's that - barring a BROKEBACK sweep he is a lock to win.
Best Actress
WINNER - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Dan's Prediction - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line - Remember the year Julia Roberts won, well now it is Reese's turn.
Best Supporting Actor
WINNER - Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney.
Dan's Prediction - Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man - Had he only been nominated for SIDEWAYS last year...but he wasn't, so this Oscar is his.
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER - Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Dan's Prediction - Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener - She was the only thing worth watching in an unwatchable movie, and with all of the previous acting awards to her credit, she wins and thanks Ralph Finnes for being "Every actor's dream to work with."
Best Director
WINNER - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Dan's Prediction - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain - I believe in all of my predictions, but this is the evening's one sure bet!
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2005 - The 77th Annual Academy Awards were - Dan went 5 out of 6
This is what I predicted in the six major categories:
BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
The category I got wrong was BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Cate Blanchett for The Aviator
...here are the best Oscar alternatives on TV
When someone says "Juno," do you say, "Awards"?
When someone says "3:10 to Yuma," do you say, "Air Canada totally has screwed up my itinerary?"
When someone says "No Country For Old Men," do you say, "Are the Rolling Stones touring again?"
When someone says "There Will Be Blood," do you say, "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the next federal election"?
And when someone says "Ratatouille," do you say, "There's no way I'm eating that goulash"?
If any of those examples rings a bell, then maybe the Academy Awards, which will be televised tonight on CTV and ABC, aren't for you.
Luckily, there always are TV alternatives. Among them:
Intruders: Aliens Speak Out (Space)
In some previous years, you could categorize the Oscar acceptance speeches this way, couldn't you? Anyway, this Canadian-produced documentary digs into the phenomenon of so-called alien abductions by featuring the stories of five alleged abductees. If this all sounds quite reasonable to you, then hey, tear yourself away from your $11,000 worth of video games and enjoy!
On Screen (Bravo)
The presentation tonight looks at the movie Kissed, which is Lynne Stopkewich's 1996 film about necrophilia. Hey, we said there were alternatives. We didn't say they'd all be suitable for the whole family.
The Godfather Part II (AMC)
OK, this movie officially has replaced The Blues Brothers as the most frequently seen movie on TV. Rarely while clicking around does one come across the original version of The Godfather, nor do we encounter the largely dreadful Godfather III. It's always Part II. Sheesh, if we knew anyone named Fredo, we'd take him fishing, if you know what we mean.
Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part (Global, CBS)
The nomination ceremony and food competition take place. Hmmm, hopefully no one is serving ratatouille.
Cheerleader Nation (CMT)
America's bizarre and borderline creepy fascination with cheerleading continues as tryouts start for the Dunbar High School Varsity and Junior Varsity squads. "Gimme a C. Gimme an R. Gimme an A. Gimme a P. What's that spell?"
Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (CBC)
The third and final instalment of this documentary series sees the Queen's children discussing the lifetime jobs into which they were born. Wait a minute, the Queen's kids have jobs? We've never seen any of those positions posted on Workopolis.
Hannah Montana (Family)
Okay, this whole Miley Cyrus craze caught us totally off guard. Of course, when we look in the mirror, we don't see a 9-year-old girl, either. Anyway, with an episode called "She's a Super Sneak" (Rick James is rolling in his grave), here's a chance to investigate what all the fuss is about. By the way, Miley Cyrus will be one of Barbara Walters' victims tonight on her annual Oscar "Let's see who I can make cry" interrogation special on CTV and ABC, along with Vanessa Williams, Harrison Ford and Canuck Ellen Page.
Trailer Park Boys (Showcase)
Two words: Bubbles wrestles.
80 YEARS OF OSCAR MEMORIES
1929: First Academy Awards held at Hollywood's Hotel Roosevelt. WWI drama "Wings" wins Best Picture.
1930: Best Actor George Arliss ("Disraeli") and Best Actress Norma Shearer ("The Divorcιe") pose with their statuettes two days before the banquet.
1931: Ten-year-old Jackie Cooper, nominated for Best Actor in "Skippy," falls asleep during the ceremony.
1932: Academy members pay $10 to attend the banquet. It sells out, anyway.
1933: The Academy skips a year in order to honor films made during the previous calendar year.
1934: Walt Disney calls his statuette "Oscar" while accepting Best Short Subject for "The Three Little Pigs." Insiders used the nickname after Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, on first seeing the trophy, said, "It's looks like Uncle Oscar." The Academy adopts the name in 1939.
1935: Bette Davis snubbed for "Of Human Bondage." Ensuing outrage inspires the Academy to allow write-in candidates.
1936: In an Oscar first, Best Writer winner Dudley Nichols ("The Informer") refuses his award in solidarity with striking unions.
1937: Best Supporting Actor and Actress are recognized for the first time. But winners get plaques instead of statuettes.
1938: Spencer Tracy's Best Actor Oscar for "Captains Courageous" is incorrectly engraved "Dick Tracy."
1939: Shirley Temple stands on a chair to present Walt Disney with an honorary award for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
1940: Hattie McDaniel breaks the color barrier. She's the first African American to attend the Oscars and the first to win, as Best Supporting Actress in "Gone With the Wind."
1941: Orson Welles becomes the first simultaneous nominee for Best Picture, Actor, Director and Screenplay for "Citizen Kane." He wins as a writer.
1942: As a symbolic gesture to the war effort, Oscar statuettes are made of plaster.
1943: The show is held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Awards' first public venue.
1944: Best Supporting Actor and Actress receive full-sized Oscars instead of a miniature on a plaque.
1945: The Best Picture category is limited to just five nominees instead of as many as 10. Other categories soon follow.
1946: For the first time, nominated songs, including winner "It Might As Well Be Spring" from "State Fair," are performed at the ceremony.
1947: For the first time, only Academy members can cast ballots.
1948: Foreign films finally get their due, as Italy's "Shoe-Shine" picks up an honorary award.
1949: Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" becomes the first foreign film to win Best Picture. Olivier wins Best Actor.
1950: The Academy begins numbering statuettes, beginning with 501. "Mighty Joe Young" wins that one, for Best Special Effects.
1951: Marlene Dietrich steals the show when, ascending stairs to present an award, she flashes her fabulous gams.
1952: Marlon Brando's breakout role in "A Streetcar Named Desire" is usurped for Best Actor by Humphrey Bogart in "The African Queen."
1953: An estimated 43 million viewers tune in for the two-hour broadcast.
1954: Brando finally wins Best Actor for "On the Waterfront," beating out, among others, Bogart in "The Caine Mutiny."
1955: Best Actress nominee for "A Star Is Born," Judy Garland is unable to attend because she's in the hospital - as the mother of day-old Joey Luft.
1956: "Marty" becomes the first TV-to-motion-picture transfer to win Best Picture.
1957: For the first time, every Best Picture nominee is in color. "Around the World in 80 Days" wins.
1958: Miyoshi Umeki becomes the first Asian actress to win an Oscar, as Supporting Actress in "Sayonara."
1959: "Gigi" breaks the record for most Oscars for a single film: nine.
1960: "Ben-Hur" shatters the record from the previous year, claiming 11 Oscars.
1961: The Oscar broadcast moves from NBC to ABC.
1962: Sophia Loren delivers the first foreign-language performance to win Best Actress in "Two Women."
1963: At 16, Best Supporting Actress Patty Duke is the youngest Oscar winner for "The Miracle Worker."
1964: Sidney Poitier is the first black man to win an Oscar, as Best Actor in "Lilies of the Field."
1965: All four acting awards are won by non-Americans: Rex Harrison ("My Fair Lady"), Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins"), Peter Ustinov ("Topkapi") and Lila Kedrova ("Zorba the Greek").
1966: "The Sound of Music" wins Best Picture, but star Julie Andrews loses her bid for a second Best Actress award to Julie Christie in "Darling."
1967: Sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave are both up for Best Actress (for "Morgan!" and "Georgy Girl," respectively). But Elizabeth Taylor beats them both for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
1968: Bob Hope emcees the awards for the 14th straight year.
1969: First worldwide telecast goes out to 37 nations.
1970: Cary Grant receives an honorary Oscar. He'd been nominated twice, but never won.
1971: Best Picture winner "Midnight Cowboy" is the first and only X-rated film to be honored.
1972: The awards' golden sheen wears thin. The LA Times claims host Bob Hope is "excruciatingly unfunny" and Variety says, "At 43, Oscar looked tired."
1973: Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his Best Actor award for "The Godfather" to protest film portrayals of Native Americans.
1974: As David Niven introduces Elizabeth Taylor, a streaker runs across the stage, flashing a peace sign.
1975: "The Godfather: Part II" is the first sequel to win Best Picture.
1976: Best Actress for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Louise Fletcher is the first Oscar recipient to use sign language at the podium.
1977: "Network" star Peter Finch receives the first posthumous Best Actor award. He died of a heart attack two months before the awards.
1978: "Annie Hall" is the first comedy to win Best Picture since "Tom Jones" in 1964.
1979: Johnny Carson makes his first appearance as host of the Oscars.
1980: Sally Field wins Best Actress for "Norma Rae," but later jokes that "the Academy is slacking off in the class quotient - after all, I won."
1981: The awards are postponed for 24 hours after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
1982: Katharine Hepburn's fourth win, as Best Actress for "On Golden Pond" makes her the all-time Academy Award champ.
1983: German sub flick "Das Boot" gets six nominations, the most ever for a foreign film. It wins nothing.
1984: Oscar's longest show, at three hours and 42 minutes. Says Shirley MacLaine: "This show has been as long as my career."
1985: Steven Spielberg rages when the Awards producers consider barring his unwed and pregnant lover, Amy Irving, from appearing on the show.
1986: With 11 nominations and no wins, "The Color Purple" joins
1977's "The Turning Point" as the two most nominated nonwinning films in the Academy's history.
1987: Nominated for Best Actress in "Aliens," Sigourney Weaver is the first female action star to be recognized by the Academy.
1988: The ceremony moves to LA's Shrine Auditorium. Drivers get lost on the way and many stars, including pregnant Glenn Close, dash through traffic to get inside on time.
1989: The phrase "and the winner is" is replaced with "and the Oscar goes to."
1990: "Driving Miss Daisy" is the first film to win Best Picture without a Best Director nod since "Grand Hotel" in 1932.
1991: "Dances With Wolves" is the first Western to win Best Picture since "Cimmaron" in 1931.
1992: Upon winning Best Supporting Actor for "City Slickers," Jack Palance does one-arm push-ups.
1993: Al Pacino is the first actor to be nominated for leading ("Scent of a Woman") and supporting ("Glengarry Glen Ross") roles. He wins Best Actor.
1994: "Schindler's List" is the first (mostly) black-and-white film to win Best Picture since "The Apartment" in 1961.
1995: Elton John and Tim Rice's three "Lion King" songs are the most ever nominated in a single year. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" wins.
1996: In "Dead Man Walking," Susan Sarandon is the first Best Actress winner to portray a nun.
1997: With nine Oscars, "The English Patient" dominates, but stars Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas go home empty-handed.
1998: "Titanic" ties "Ben-Hur" as the most-honored film in history with 11 awards. None of its actors wins.
1999: For the first time, the ceremony is held on Sunday.
2000: Angelina Jolie wins Best Supporting Actress for "Girl, Interrupted," making her and Jon Voight the only father-daughter Oscar winners other than Henry and Jane Fonda.
2001: For the first time in 51 years, the Best Picture winner ("Gladiator") doesn't pick up an additional award for either Best Director or Best Screenplay.
2002: Halle Berry becomes the first African-American woman to win Best Actress for "Monster's Ball."
2003: All five of the Best Picture nominees were released in the last two weeks of 2002 (December 18 or after). "Chicago" wins.
2004: Billy Crystal hosts the awards for the eighth time.
2005: Clint Eastwood and Albert Ruddy share the Best Picture Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby." Eastwood had been the presenter for Best Picture when Ruddy won his first Oscar as producer of "The Godfather" in 1973.
2006: With "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Syriana," George Clooney is the first nominee for Best Director and Supportng Actor for different films. He wins Best Supporting Actor.
2007: With 71 letters and 12 words, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has the longest title of any film ever nominated.
Sources: "65 Years of Oscar," by Robert Osborne, "Inside Oscar" by Damien Bona and Mason Wiley, "The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History," by Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza.
Maxim fabricated CD review, Black Crowes say
The Black Crowes say an album review by Maxim magazine was fabricated because advance CDs were not available.
The critique, published in Maxim's March issue, gives the Crowes' Warpaint a rating of 2½ stars out of five.
"The writer who has not heard the album, since advance CDs were not made available wrote what appears to be a disparaging assessment anyway, citing, 'it hasn't left Chris Robinson and the gang much room for growth,' " said a statement on the band's official website.
The band's manager, Pete Angelus, said the band raised the issue with Maxim, which, he said, responded in an e-mail with the following: "Of course, we always prefer to [sic] hearing music, but sometimes there are big albums that we don't want to ignore that aren't available to hear, which is what happened with the Crowes. It's either an educated guess preview or no coverage at all, so in this case we chose the former."
Maxim, which has not confirmed the authenticity of the e-mail message to Angelus, released this statement in response: "Maxim will continue to provide our readers with information that is important to them, whether it is about fashion, lifestyle, technology, music, movies and more."
"It's a disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the public," Angelus said.
"What's next Maxim's concert reviews of shows they never attended, book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?"
Warpaint marks the band's first album in seven years and is set for release March 4. The blues-rock group has released only one song from the disc, Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.
Lohan's I Know Who Killed Me reaps most Razzies ever
Eddie Murphy and Lindsay Lohan shared some nasty honours by each capturing three 2007 Razzies, awards given to the worst performances and films.
The 28th annual Golden Raspberry Awards, always handed out the day before the Oscars, bestowed Lohan with two worst-actress awards for playing twins in I Know Who Killed Me, which was named worst movie of the year.
Adding to the dishonour, she also won worst onscreen couple for a scene in which she appears opposite herself in a story about siblings stalked by a serial killer.
I Know Who Killed Me was a box office flop with a take of $9 million US worldwide, and won eight of nine Raspberries for which it was nominated.
"Part of why the Razzies exist is to make fun of the academy, which takes itself too seriously," Razzies founder John Wilson said at the ceremony on Saturday at a magic shop in Santa Monica, Calif.
"If you had tried to make something certain to offend the average 90-year-old academy voter, I don't think you could have done a better job than the foul-mouthed, physically ugly, emotionally ugly movie [Lohan] unleashed on the world."
The film also garnered Raspberries for Chris Siverston in the director category as well as Jeffrey Hammond for worst screenplay, and in the new category of Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie.
I Know Who Killed Me broke a record of seven wins previously held by Showgirls and Battlefield Earth.
Murphy's roles in Norbit rack up Razzies
Norbit, a hit worldwide with $158 million US in box office receipts, captured three of the four worst-acting categories.
Murphy had several parts in Norbit so, besides worst actor, he also nabbed worst supporting actor and supporting actress Raspberries for roles as a Chinese man and Norbit's screaming overweight wife.
It's been quite a journey for the comedian, who is now the first person ever to win three acting Razzies in one year. That's only a year after he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in Dreamgirls.
The only award left over was given to Daddy Day Camp for Worst Prequel or Sequel.
The winners almost never are in attendance to get their gaudy gold trophies. An exception was Halle Berry, who showed up to accept her 2005 prize for Catwoman.
In the history of the award, Sylvester Stallone is the overall Razzies champ with 30 nominations and 10 wins.
The winners are decided by Razzie members, who must buy a membership to take part in the vote.
Juno soars at Independent Spirit Awards
Teen-pregnancy comedy Juno dominated the Independent Spirit Awards by taking three trophies, including best picture and the lead actress prize for Canadian Ellen Page.
The film, directed by Montreal-born Jason Reitman, also garnered a first-time screenplay honour for Diablo Cody at the awards, which honour the best in independent filmmaking.
Halifax actress Page landed on top of a heap of Hollywood heavyweights including Angelina Jolie and Parker Posey for her portrayal as a spirited 16-year-old who becomes pregnant through her best friend and decides to give her baby away.
Page, who has said she feels "numb" by all the attention she's getting for the role, honoured Cody in her acceptance speech.
"This is all Diablo Cody's fault. She wrote one of the best screenplays I have ever read," said the 21-year-old at the low-key ceremony Saturday afternoon on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif.
"I got to work with some amazing actors who all poured their hearts into this film because we all believed in it so much."
Reitman, who lost in the best director category to Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was visibly moved as Page went on to praise him.
All three Page, Reitman and Cody are up for Oscars in their respective fields on Sunday night. Cody said she's just grateful.
"Having your film get made is your reward," said the 29-year-old writer, whose script for Juno was her first screenplay. "That alone is the miracle, so to get an award is beyond imaginable. It's so cool."
Other winners included a pregnant Cate Blanchett, who won the best supporting actress award for her role in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There.
She dedicated her award to co-star Heath Ledger, who died following an accidental drug overdose last month. To "one of the most beautiful independent spirits of all, Heath Ledger," Blanchett said. "This is for him."
First Altman award
Blanchett beat out the likes of Canadian Tamara Podemski, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her work on the film Four Sheets to the Wind. She won a special jury prize for acting at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for the role.
I'm Not There also took the first ever Robert Altman Award named after director Robert Altman, who died in 2006 for a filmmaker, casting director and acting ensemble.
"I have no doubt [Heath Ledger] would have made an astounding director," director Todd Haynes said in his acceptance speech.
Philip Seymour Hoffman walked away with the best actor trophy for The Savages, which also garnered a best screenplay prize for Tamara Jenkins. Hoffman is nominated in the same category at the Oscars, but for another role, in Charlie Wilson's War.
Chiwetel Ejiofor won for best supporting male for Talk to Me while The Lookout, directed by Scott Frank, captured best first feature film.
The best foreign film award went to low-budget Irish film Once, starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglov.
Toronto' s Jennifer Baichwal lost out in the documentary category to Crazy Love. Her film, Manufactured Landscapes, had won a Genie.
Springsteen, Young join anti-war soundtrack
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Peal Jam have contributed tunes to the anti-war soundtrack for a documentary about a U.S. soldier paralyzed in Iraq.
The 30-song, two-disc album "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran" will be released March 18 via Warner Music's Sire Records label. All proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War.
"Body of War" focuses on Tomas Young, an Army soldier paralyzed upon arriving in Iraq. It will open on March 13 in Austin, Texas, and expand nationally in subsequent months. Talk show veteran Phil Donahue directed the film with Ellen Spiro.
The album was put together by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who composed the first single, "No War," specifically for the film. Pearl Jam's live version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" also graces the soundtrack.
Springsteen contributed "Devils & Dust," and Neil Young "The Restless Consumer." Other tracks include "Yo George" from Tori Amos, "Son of a Bush" from Public Enemy, and "Bushonomics" from Talib Kweli & Cornel West.
'Vantage Point' gets top box office vote
LOS ANGELES - The political thriller "Vantage Point" secured the top spot at the weekend box office, earning an estimated $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The previous No. 1 movie, 20th Century Fox's "Jumper," dropped to second with $12.7 million, raising its domestic total to $56.2 million in two weeks. Paramount's family fantasy "The Spiderwick Chronicles" was a close third with $12.6 million. Disney's dance saga "Step Up 2 The Streets" and Warner Bros.' romantic comedy "Fool's Gold" rounded out the top five.
"Vantage Point," a Sony Pictures action-drama about a presidential assassination seen from the viewpoints of different characters, included a star-studded ensemble cast that featured Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as Secret Service agents.
"Audiences really love it when they get a summer-style popcorn movie at a time of the year when they don't expect it," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers.
The studio said "Vantage Point" appealed to a broad audience 52 percent of moviegoers were male and half were under age 30.
"It's fresh with lots of twists and turns. Audiences become very invested in it," said Rory Bruer, Sony president of distribution.
The only other new release to crack the top 10 was the Jack Black comedy "Be Kind Rewind," which took in $4.1 million and was tied at No. 7 with "Juno." The Fox Searchlight pregnancy comedy has rung up $130 million since opening 12 weeks ago.
Paramount Vantage's oil saga "There Will Be Blood" moved up two slots to No. 10 with $2.6 million for a total of $35 million in nine weeks.
The weekend's other two debuts, Lionsgate's "Witless Protection" and MGM's "Charlie Bartlett," came in at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively.
Box office revenues were down for the second straight week. The top 12 movies grossed $90 million, down 23 percent from last weekend and 10 percent from the same weekend in 2007.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Vantage Point," $24 million.
2. "Jumper," $12.7 million.
3. "Spiderwick Chronicles," $12.6 million.
4. "Step Up 2 the Streets," $9.8 million.
5. "Fool's Gold," $6.3 million.
6. "Definitely, Maybe," $5.2 million.
7. "Juno," $4.1 million.
7. "Be Kind Rewind," $4.1 million.
9. "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," $4 million.
10. "There Will Be Blood," $2.6 million.